1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the general field of golf equipment and driving and/or chipping ranges. More particularly, it relates to an improved range using Universal Product Code labeling and optical scanner technology, which provides golfers with entertainment and an opportunity to improve their distance and directional skills for driving and/or chipping.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Golf driving and chipping ranges traditionally are of a type that permits a golfer to rent, for a fee, a bucket of balls which the golfer then propels using a golf club in a manner described in the sport of golf as driving or chipping. The balls are hit from a tee stand located in a marked stall or area onto a range normally equipped with markers that numerically indicate the distance from the tee stand, thereby enabling the golfer to estimate or determine the length of his drive or chip. The golfer's ability to judge the length of his drive or chip is dependent upon his ability to follow visually the path of the ball and to see the lie (the actual spot where the ball lands after being hit). That ability may be impaired or adversely affected by one or any combination of several factors, such as the golfer's eyesight; inadequate lighting attributable to natural shading, time of day or dim or poorly directed artificial light; excessively bright lighting from the sun or from poorly directed artificial light; natural physical obstructions such as trees, bushes, grasses, terrain imperfections; and the presence of other balls that have come to lie at approximately the same place and are generally indistinguishable from each other even at relatively short distances. Accordingly, one objective of this invention is to provide a means for measuring with a degree of exactness the length of the golfers' drive or chip without depending on his ability to follow visually the path of the ball.
Conventional driving or chipping ranges are traditionally configured with tee stands or stalls located in a straight line with distance markers measured perpendicularly from the line; the farthest marker is generally about 200 to 250 yards from the tee stands. Notwithstanding the golfer's need to follow visually the path of the ball and see the lie, the ability of the golfer to make a determination with any degree of accuracy as to the length of a particular drive or chip is also dependent on the golfer's ability to judge the distance of the imaginary line parallel to the tee stands where the ball landed. In addition, since the markers only indicate distances that are perpendicular to the tee stands, they are correct for balls hit in the direction perperdicular to the tees but not for balls hit at an angle. The ball that travels either to the left or the right of that direction actually travels farther than indicated by the imaginary line parallel to the tee stands. Therefore, if the golfer chooses to drive or chip for the primary purpose of accurately gauging the length of his shots, he is limited to shots in the direction perpendicular to the tees and must sacrifice the opportunity to practice in different directions. Accordingly, it is another objective of this invention to configure a range in a manner that provides a series of targets throughout the range, each of which is located at a different angle and a different distance from each of the various tee stands, and to provide a system of accurately measuring the length of each individual shot that landed on a target using Universal Product Code labeling and optical scanning technology, thereby enabling the golfer to obtain an indication of the success of his shots, achieve an accurate measure of the length of his successful drives or chips, and have the opportunity to practice in various directions.
Conventional driving and chipping ranges do not provide golfers with a record of or statistics concerning the number and/or length of their drives and chips. In addition, because of the distraction and inconvenience involved, golfers generally do not attempt to keep these records themselves. Even if a golfer were to attempt recording the number and length of his drives on a particular occasion, the difficulty involved with keeping track of each ball and in estimating its distance from the tee would render the task practically impossible. Moreover, even if that were possible, a player would not be able to compare his skill level on that particular occasion with that achieved on other occasions unless he had also generated comparable records on previous times and had calculated accurate and meaningful statistics for comparison. Even so, these records would not provide him with the ability to make comparisons with other golfers unless they were also able and willing to do the same. Obviously, that is an impractical and almost impossible objective to achieve with a conventional driving-range setup. Accordingly, it is also an object of this invention to provide a range equipped with automated apparatus using Universal Product Code labeling and optical scanning technology to produce information and statistics on a scorecard that provides golfers with a record of the number, length and success of shots taken on a particular occasion, a comparison with previous occasions and with other golfers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,879, issued to Jetton (1963), describes a driving range that affords golfers the opportunity to practice driving and chipping for distance, provides aids to improve directional accuracy and entertains by rewarding individual golfers who achieve distance and directional accuracy. This driving range envisions a plurality of flagged holes or cups, simulating a golf green, arranged at various distances from the tee stands with signaling devices to indicate when a ball drops into a cup. The invention does nor include an automated system to retrieve the balls and keep track of the golfer's performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,692, issued to Woodard et al. (1975), describes a golf yardage measuring device and system to provide a visual read-out of the distance between a golfer and a particular green on a golf course. A receiver unit in the possession of the golfer is activated by a signal emitted by a transmitter on a green, indicating the distance between the golfer and the green. The object of the invention is to assist the golfer during a game in selecting the appropriate club for his approach shot. The invention does not offer the golfer feedback to improve either distance or accuracy.
Finally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,868,692 to Horcheler (1974) and 4,660,039 to Barricks et al. (1987) describe electric oscillator circuits to assists in the recovery of lost golf balls and other sport objects misplaced during play, but the teachings of these patents are not utilized in any way to address the above described problems and objectives.
Therefore, there still exists a need for an automated driving range that provides a golfer with precise records of his performance during a session and a comparative analysis with his prior scores and the average performance of the public at large. The focus of this invention is a system and apparatus that give a player feedback quantifying his performance from a tee, much the same way as on approach to a green on the golf course. Having chosen a target at a given distance and in a given direction from the tee, the golfer needs to know whether the ball actually landed within the target and how close it is from the targeted spot, just as in trying to hit the cup on a green. That must be accomplished in a driving range environment where other people are hitting balls to the same and other targets at the same time.